An introduction to the analysis of the film beckett

Summaries 5 Summaries King Henry II of England comes to terms with his affection for his close friend and confidant Thomas Becket, who finds his true honor by observing God's divine will rather than the King's. But Becket unexpectedly finds his true calling on the ecclesiastical side, and aligns himself against the king's selfish wishes, causing a rift and an eventual showdown not only between the two men, but also the institutions they represent.

Godot is an existentialist play that reads like somewhat of a language poem. That is to say, Beckett is not interested in the reader interpreting his words, but simply listening to the words and viewing the actions of his perfectly mismatched characters.

Beckett uses the standard Vaudevillian style to present a play that savors of the human condition. He repeats phrases, ideas and actions that has his audience come away with many different ideas about who we are and how beautiful our human existence is even in our desperation.

This is demonstrated in the progression of dialogue and action in each of the two acts in Godot. The first thing an audience may notice about Waiting For Godot is that they are immediately set up for a comedy. The first two characters to appear on stage are Vladimir and Estragon, dressed in bowler hats and boots.

These characters lend themselves to the same body types as Abbot and Costello. Vladimir is usually cast as tall and thin and Estragon just the opposite.

Each character is involved in a comedic action from the plays beginning. Estragon is struggling with a tightly fitting boot that he just cannot seem to take off his foot. Vladimir is moving around bowlegged because of a bladder problem.

From this beat on the characters move through a what amounts to a comedy routine. A day in the life of two hapless companions on a country road with a single tree. Beckett accomplishes two things by using this style of comedy.

Comedy routines have a beginning and an ending. For Godot the routine begins at the opening of the play and ends at the intermission.

Once the routine is over, it cannot continue. The routine must be done again. This creates the second act. The second act, though not an exact replication, is basically the first act repeated. The routine is put on again for the audience.

The same chain of events: Estragon sleeps in a ditch, Vladimir meets him at the tree, they are visited by Pozzo and Lucky, and a boy comes to tell them that Godot will not be coming but will surely be there the following day.

In this way repetition dictates the structure of the play. There is no climax in the play because the only thing the plot builds to is the coming of Godot. However, after the first act the audience has pretty much decided that Godot will never show up.

What is everyday for us but another of the same act. Surely small things will change, but overall we seem to be living out the same day many times over. Another effect of repetition on the structure of Godot is the amount of characters in the play.

As mentioned before, the play is set up like a Vaudeville routine. In order to maintain the integrity of the routine, the play must be based around these two characters. This leaves no room for extra characters that will get in the way of the act.

To allow for the repetition of the routine to take place the cast must include only those characters who are necessary it.

The idea that the two characters are simply passing time is evident in the dialogue. In the first half-dozen pages of the play the phrase is repeated about four times.

This emphasizes the phrase so that the audience will pick up on it. It allows the audience to realize that all these two characters have is the hope that Godot will show up. Until the time when Godot arrives, all they can do is pass the time and wait.

The first information we learn about the characters is how Estragon was beaten and slept in a ditch.

We get the sense that this happens all the time. This is nothing new to the characters. They are used to this routine. The flow of the play is based around this feeling that the characters know where each day is headed.

The audience feels that the characters go through each day with the hope that Godot will come and make things different.The play tells the story of a love triangle, and each character narrates a bitter history and their role in it. On the stage, each head is provoked into speech by an spotlight.

In the film. May 12,  · Samuel Beckett is perhaps the greatest playwright of the 20th century, and the author of the masterpiece, Waiting for Godot. It’s hard to understand the modern world without his perspective.

A countryman of Becket’s, the young monk seems to remind Becket of his former self; throughout the action that follows, Becket will supervise the monk’s capture and eventual release, gradually befriending the fractious youth. Vladimir is moving around bowlegged because of a bladder problem.

From this beat on the characters move through a what amounts to a comedy routine. A day in the life of two hapless companions on a country road with a single tree.

Beckett accomplishes two things by using this style of comedy. Comedy routines have a beginning and an ending. Apr 08,  · Based on the play "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett. Summary: Two men, Vladimir and Estragon, meet near a tree. They converse on various topics and reveal that they are waiting there for a man.

The movie, Philadelphia, was an excellent example of the severe discrimination many people with Aids are exposed to. In this instance the main character, Andy, was also gay.

Unfortunately, in our society, he was faced with a double whammy.